Stocking protector



Patented Oct. 27, 1925.

'UNITEDSTATES CHARLES Peru, or DENVER, coLo'aADo.

STOCKING raotrnc ron.

Application mm me e, 1925., seriaijno. 35,469.

To all whom it mary concern. 7 r 7 Be it known that 1, CHARLES PAPE, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city and county of Denver, in the State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stocking Protectors, of which the following is a specification. o My invention relates to stocking protectors for preventing undue wear of the stocking at'the heel during wear. 1

Shoes are usually provided; with lining which is morezor less coarse or with an exposed counter. Fabric lining in the shoe abrades the stocking heel and soon renders the stocking unserviceable. .Thesameis true of the exposed counters, whichare usual y I made from fiber or leather, neither of which can be made sufiiciently smooth to prevent, wear on the fabric of the stockings.

lVIy invention .oontemplates the provision of a device which maybe made: and sold independently of the -shoe, and which may be inserted in any shoe to presenta perfectly smooth and glass like surface which will entirely eliminatewear on the heel of the stocking. It is furthermore the object of my invention to provide such a stocking protector with an edge which cannot wear nor tear the stocking, and which clings to the shoe in such a way that it cannot be displaced (luring wear I c Having in view these objectscand others which will be pointed out in the following description, I will now refer to the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view in perspectiveof the stocking protector. 5 a c Figure 1 is a perspective View of a modi-; fied form of the stocking protector. V,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a shoe with a portion of the back part torn away to expose the stocking protector.

Figure 3.is a sectional view of the same shoe with the stocking protector.

Figure 4 is a median vertical section of the stocking protector.

My stocking protector is made by cutting or punching it out of fiat sheet metal, and then bending it before use into the form shown in Figur 1. It has in general the outline of the counter of the shoe. Its lower edge 10 is adapted to rest on the heel of the shoe. The ears 11 are integral with the main portion of the stocking protector, their purpose beingc'to secure the stocking pr or" tector in the shoe and to, preventslippage during wear. The number of cars 11 will "1,559,001" PATENT. OFFICE.

depend very largelyon'the particular cir-' cumstances in each'case; In shoes in which there is very littlev or; no tendency toward slippage, only two veryshortr ears maybe provided atv the ends, and these two ears may be left unbent to be thrust down behind the inner edge of the heel, or they may be omitted altogether. .In circumstances domanding slightly greater adhesion, the'two end ears are bent inwardly as. shown in Figure 2, where they may be tacked on to theheel witha, thin layer 12 of leather or fabric above to protect the stocking from the edges of the ears. If'still' greater ad: hesion is needed,the' number of ears similar to the ears 11 may be increased to three, four, five, or even more, and I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not desire to "limit myself to any'specified number. I wish it to be also understood that the ears may be continuous with the body of the stocking protector to serve as prongs for engaging the heel of the'shoe,:.or theybe bent at an angle to the body of the stocking protector torest on the heel of the shoe.

The edge 13 of the stocking protector is slightly rounded for two reasons. When putting on or taking off the shoe, the stocking at the heeltslides over the rounded surface of the stocking protector and does not come into contact with a possible rough exposed edge."v Because it is rounded,'the entire edge 13 bears against the inner rear surface of theshoe to hold the stockingprotector in afixed position within the shoe. Atlil the edge..l3 is slightly indented, so that the portions of the edge 13 at each side of the indentation 13 will bite into the counter .orthe lining of the shoe to still further hold the stocking protector in place. The

indentation '13 has a further great :advantage in that is provides a most suitable edge for the heel of the stocking and foot i'O slide over when putting on the shoe.

While any suitable material may be used in making the stocking protector, the best results can be obtained only by using materials having certain characteristics. The material must be noncorrodible. It must be capable of receiving an exceedingly smooth or glassy inner surface, by polishing or otherwise, since the stocking protector has its maximum efliciency only when the inner surface 15 as frictionless as poss ble.

I have'found that there are several metals of very low cost which are admirably adapted for this purpose. Aluminum which is treated so that it will not turn black nor tarnish is well suited for my purpose, since it is relatively inexpensive, is adapted to receive a high polish, and possesses a certain degree of resiliency. Monel metal is another metal which will not rust or turn black andI have found this metal very satisfactory in the manufacture of the stocking protectors. Silver and gold are of course the ideal metals of this purpose when cost is a secondary consideration, since they possess all of the necessary qualities to an extraordinary degree. Of the materials other than metal, bakelite laminated material serves the purpose admirably. Perhaps the best results can be obtained at the lowest cost by making the stockingprot-ectors out of spring steel or similar material and then electroplating their inner surfaces with nickel, silver, or gold. I do not desire, however, to restrict myself to the use of any particular material, but I reserve to myself the right to use any metal which is suitable for the purpose.

lVhi'le the inner surface of the stocking protector must be as smooth as it is possible to make it, it is desirable and often nece sary that the rear surface .of the stocking protector be rough. The rear surface is in contact withthe inner surface of the shoe, and everyineansypossible must be provided for preventing slippage of the stocking protector in the shoe. The rear surface of the J'net'al may be speciallyroughened to give it an exceedingly coarse and rough surface, or it may simply be'left unfinished. The degree of roughness necessary is of course largely dependent on individual circumstances. The-roughened surface may also be appliedto a layer 14 of metal, paper, or fabric which is caused to adhere perma nentlyto the rear surfac'efof the stocking protector.w i

.It is my object to provide the stocking protectorsina number of differentlforms and sizest'o fit the various kinds and sizes of shoes. The. number need, however, not be large since a stocking protector of any. given size .will'fit in shoes of considerable variation in form and size. Instorage and shipment the stocking protectors nest well and occupy very little space. It is a very simple matter to apply them to the shoes. They areresilient and they therefore adaptthemselves readily to the form of the shoes. They may be tacked down with a layer of suitable material covering the ears, or the ears may be thrust down behind the insole to anchor the stocking protector in the shoe. The stocking protector is, however, made to cling to the shoe also by means of the rounded outer edge and the roughened rear surface, so that there can be no annoying slippage during wear. During wear and when putting on or taking off the shoes, the stocking slides over a curved and highly glazed surface, so that there is practically no friction contact to wear out the heels of the stockings. I have found that the stoclc ing protectors are especially serviceable when used with silk stockings, as the added wear of the silk'stockings' will soon pay for the stocking protectors of even the mostea pensive kinds.

I-Iavingthus described my invention in terms'which will be readily understood by others skilled in the art to which it pertains,

what'l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is A stocking protector which is adapted to be placed inside a shoe against the inner rear surface thereof, said stocking protector being formed out of a sheet of resilient and noncorrodible materialand having a highly polished exposed for aid surface and also a rear friction surface, the upper and lateral edges being turned re'arwardly so that the edges will engage the lining of the shoe and providing also a curved surface for the passage of the heel of the stocking when put ting on the shoe, the upper edge of the stoclc ing pro'tectorhaving a reentrant curve to facilitate the passage of the heel of the foot when putting on the shoe and also provid;

ing projections on each side of the reentrant curve for digging into the lining of the shoe, and a plurality of ears projectingfromthe lower edge of said stocking protector, said ears being adapted to secure the stocking protector to the heel of the shoe.

In witness whereof I aflix. my signature.

oriannns PAPE. 

